The ever-turbulent Middle East got a jolt in early 2020 with the outbreak of COVID-19, which affected all the countries of the region and all facets of life. Some managed to mitigate the pandemic through better utilization of their healthcare facilities, quick policy responses and better enforcement of lockdown measures, and countries such as Israel, UAE, and Bahrain deployed technological means and smartphone apps to trace and minimize the spread. In countries such as Libya, Syria, and Yemen—already amid civil war—the health services were stretched beyond limits. The pandemic coincided with a host of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim festivities, namely, Easter, Pessah, and Ramadan, respectively. It forced the authorities to advise the followers to pray at homes rather than go for public congregations. Several Muslim-majority countries urged their citizens to be judicious in keeping the month-long fast during the holy month of Ramadan. As precautionary measures, the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and religious seminaries in Qum have been closed for weeks. The annual Hajj pilgrimage remains doubtful; Saudi authorities have canceled Umrah but have not made any formal announcement concerning Hajj. Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, has called off this year’s Hajj due to the pandemic. While most religious people and societies adhered to the norms of physical distancing, there were challenging moments. The pandemic situation accentuated several problems facing the Middle East. With no end to the civil war conditions, Libya, Yemen, and Syria are further burdened by the health crisis. Hence, the actual number of COVID-19-related deaths remains speculative than accurate. The disease posed a different challenge to oil-rich countries. Global lockdown and virtual halting of international travel drastically reduced the demand for oil and gas. With so many companies and production units across the globe not operating, there is excess oil in the market and scores of tankers are hopelessly stranded at high seas. Dropping demands and reduced storage space led to oil prices falling below $0 per barrel in April. For the hydrocarbon-dependent economies along the Persian Gulf, this was a devastating shock. Falling oil prices was not a boom for oil-importing countries like India. Gulf economies are oil-dependent and drop in revenues means scaling back government expenditure and infrastructure developments, leading to falling bilateral trade, reducing the size of the immigrant population, and dip in remittances. The Gulf Other

中文翻译：

---

日期变更线

随着 COVID-19 的爆发，动荡不安的中东在 2020 年初受到了震动，它影响了该地区的所有国家和生活的方方面面。一些国家通过更好地利用其医疗设施、快速的政策反应和更好地执行封锁措施来缓解大流行，以色列、阿联酋和巴林等国家部署了技术手段和智能手机应用程序来追踪和最大限度地减少传播。在利比亚、叙利亚和也门等已经内战的国家，卫生服务已经超出了极限。大流行恰逢许多基督教、犹太教和穆斯林庆祝活动，分别是复活节、白沙节和斋月。它迫使当局建议信徒在家祈祷，而不是去公共集会。几个穆斯林占多数的国家敦促其公民在斋月期间保持长达一个月的斋戒。作为预防措施，麦加大清真寺、耶路撒冷的阿克萨清真寺和库姆的宗教神学院已关闭数周。一年一度的朝觐仍然令人怀疑。沙特当局取消了副朝，但尚未就朝觐作出任何正式声明。由于大流行，最大的穆斯林国家印度尼西亚取消了今年的朝觐。尽管大多数宗教人士和社会都遵守保持身体距离的规范，但也有充满挑战的时刻。大流行形势凸显了中东面临的几个问题。由于内战状况没有结束，利比亚、也门和叙利亚受到健康危机的进一步影响。因此，与 COVID-19 相关的实际死亡人数仍然是推测性的，而不是准确的。这种疾病给石油资源丰富的国家带来了不同的挑战。全球封锁和国际旅行的虚拟停止大大减少了对石油和天然气的需求。由于全球有如此多的公司和生产单位无法运营，市场上石油过剩，数十艘油轮无可救药地搁浅在公海上。需求下降和存储空间减少导致 4 月份油价跌至每桶 0 美元以下。对于波斯湾沿岸依赖碳氢化合物的经济体来说，这是一次毁灭性的冲击。对于像印度这样的石油进口国来说，油价下跌并不是繁荣。海湾经济体依赖石油，收入下降意味着缩减政府支出和基础设施建设，导致双边贸易下降，减少移民人口规模，减少汇款。海湾其他